Telegraph distributor having ratchet-like stepped contact segments and the method formaking such



3,200,210 -LIKE STEPPED MAKING H 3 ets-Sheet 1 Aug. 10, 196 K. ALONAS ETAL H DISTRIBUTOR HAVING RATCHET SEGMENTS AND THE METHOD FOR TELEGRAP CONTACT Filed D60. 14, 1961 I ARTHUR A. HAGSTR(|)(M BERN'ARD J. SOBCZA ATTORNEY 1965 K ALONAS ETAL 3,200,210

TELEGRAPH DISTRIB UTOR HAVING RATCHET-LIKE STEPPED CONTACT SEGMENTS AND THE METHOD FOR MAKING SUCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1961 INVENTORS KAY ALONAS ARTHUR A. HAGSTROM BERNARD J. SOBCZAK ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1965 s ETAL 3,200,210

AL TELEGRAPH DISTRIBUTOR HAVING RATCHET-LIKE STEPPED CONTACT SEGMENTS AND THE METHOD FOR MAKING SUCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 14, 1961 INVENTORS KAY ALONAS ARTHUR A. HAGSTROM BERNARD J. SOBCZAK FIG. 6 BY ATTORNEY United States Patent TELEGRAPH DISTEEBUTGR HAVlNG RATtIHET- LIKE STEEPED CGNTACT SEGMENTS AND THE METHOD FUR MAKING SUCH Kay Alenas, Slrokie, Arthur A. Hagstrorn, Hofirnan Estates, and Bernard J. Soliczalr, Bellwood, Ill., assignors g) 'Hleletype Corporation, Slrokie, 111., a corporation of e aware Filed Dec. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 159,328 6 Claims. ((31. 2tl(l-11) This invention relates to printing telegraph code transmitters and a method of making them and more particularly to distributor mechanisms for printing telegraph apparatus and to the method of making such distributors.

Permutation code signals set up under control of a keyboard or other control mechanisms such as tape sensing devices, have been applied to telegraph signal lines through the instrumentality of distributor mechanisms which received the code from the control mechanisms as current or no-current conditions fed to it in parallel and which transmitted these conditions sequentially over the telegraph line. These distributors, an essential element in transmitting systems, have been assembled from a multiplicity of parts of irregular shape and have been costly to manufacture since, not only the forming of parts, but also the assembling of them, has been time consummg.

It is an object of the present invention to materially reduce the cost of manufacturing of printing telegraph distributors.

Another object of the present invention is the simplification of the methods of manufacturing printing telegraph distributors.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a printing telegraph distributor which comprises a minimum of separate parts.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing printing telegraph distributors which is as simple as possible thereby to reduce the cost of the manufacturing of such distributors.

A feature of the invention consists in so forming the contact segments of the distributor mechanism that the brush which travels over the contacts will not bridge two contacts at one time.

Another feature of the invention lies in the construction of contact members for the distributor wherein the collector ring of a distributor is permanently interconnected with the start segment of the distributor which is in turn connected to the signal line.

Still another feature of the invention is that the manufacture of the distributor is simplified in the forming of the stationary contacts of the distributor by utilizing a printed circuit technique.

A still further feature of the invention is the provision of a contact blank comprising a sheet of insulating material to which a sheet of conducting material has been applied which blank may be used in making distributors for transmitting different unit codes.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention a distributor for use in printing telegragh transmitters of the type disclosed in the copending applications of L. C. Anderson, .lr., and A. A. Hagstrom Serial No. 159,324 filed December 14, 1961, and W. J. Zenner, Serial No.

159,330, filed December 14, 1961, is made by applying a sheet of metal to a sheet of insulating material and etching away part of the metal sheet, preferably utilizing a printed circuit technique, to form an irregularly shaped single sheet of metal fixed to the sheet of insulating material and then the assembled sheets of metal and insulating material have slots perforated through them at selected locations to divide an outer annular portion of the metal 3,200,210 Patented Aug. 10, 1965 sheet into segments of selected lengths and the edges of the segments are depressed toward the sheet of insulating material to form a ratchet-like surface over which one of a pair of interconnected brushes may move to engage one of the segments at a time. The sheet of metallic conductive material which is applied to the sheet of insulating material, prior to being perforated to cut the outer annular portion of it into segments, includes an inner selector ring connected by a neck portion to an outer annular ring and the outer annular ring has extending from it a plurality of connector portions which extend to terminal portions that may be connected to a code generating device. In etching away some of the metallic layer or sheet on the sheet of insulating material, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the connector portions are so formed that by selectively perforating the assembled layer of conducting material and insulating material the outer annular ring will be cut into seven, eight or ten separate segments having connector portions integral with them whereby the same blank may be used to form the stationary contacts of a distributor for use with either a five, six or eight unit startstop code.

A complete understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printing telegraph transmitter having a keyboard for setting up code combinations on a contact bank connected to a distributor or" the type forming the subject matter of the present invention;

FIG. 2'is a face view of the distributor shown in perspective in FIG. 1, showing a distributor which has been formed to transmit an eight unit code;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows showing the assembled conducting sheet and insulating sheet in section and showing the distributor brush in elevation;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the stationary contact portion of a distributor, which has been perforated for use with a five unit code;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5, in the direction of the arrows, to illustrate the stepped arrangement of the contact segments, and

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the manner in which the contacts of the contact bank are connected to the distributor.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, particular reference being had to FIG. 1, wherein there is shown a printing telegraph transmitter of the type to which the present invention is particularly applicable, it will be seen that the apparatus is enclosed in a casing 11. At the front portion of the casing 11 there is provided a keyboard 12 which preferably, but not necessarily, is of the type described in detail and claimed in the copending application of L. C. Anderson and A. A. Hagstrom Serial No. 159,324 filed December 14, 1961. This keyboard, as described in detail in the above mentioned L. C. Anderson, Jr., et al. application, the disclosure of which application is incorporated herein by reference for a complete understanding of the mode of operation of the keyboard, serves to control a bank of contacts 13 which preferably is of the type disclosed in the copending patent application of A. A. Hagstrom Serial No. 159,228 filed December 14, 1961 the disclosure of which application is also incorporated =12 herein by reference and made a part hereof. The bank of contacts 13 may be selectively closed permutatively upon the operation of keys 14 in the keyboard 12 and through conductors 15 will apply either current or nocurrent conditions, hereinafter called marking or Spacing conditions, respectively, to various segments in a distributor designated generally .by the numeral 16 and shown in detail in FIGS. 2-6.

In the manufacture of the distributor structure 16, an irregularly shaped sheet of insulating material 17 has applied to it a single sheet of metallic conducting material designated generally by the numeral 18. This sheet of conducting material 18 after being applied to the sheet of insulating material 17 is formed in any suitable manner, but prefer-ably is formed-or shaped by any one of the Well-known printed circuit techniques. For example, after the sheet of metallic conducting material 18 has been suitably attached to the sheet of insulating material 17 either by cementing it or otherwise suitably fixing it to the sheet of insulating material to form an imperforate sheet of metallic conducting material on top of the sheet of insulating material, the metallic conducting material 18 may be etched away, using such a process as the well-known silk screen process for delineating the pattern to be etched away. As is well known, this is the outer annular portion 64 into a start segment, stop segment and code segments is effected by perforating slots 31 through both the sheet of metallic conducting material 18 and the sheet of insulating material 17 after the etching process. The perforation of the slots 81, in the manner shown in FIG. 2, will produce an assemblage usable in a start-stop distributor using an eight unit code. When the perforations 81 are formed in the locations as illustrated in FIG. 2 and with the rotor 27 in the position shown, the connect-or 55 will be interconnected through the stop segment 71, brush 32, wire 35, brush 33, collector ring 66, neck 65 and segment 72 to the connect-or 54. As the brush rotates in a clockwise direction (FIG. 2) during the course of a cycle of operation of the distributor the brush 32 will sequentially engage the segments 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 8t!

and will return to engagement with stop segment 71.

The segment 72 is interconnected by means of the neck 65 with the collector ring'portion 66 and the lower terminal end of the connector 54 is connected to a signal line 87 (FIG. 7).

In the circuit arrangement illustrated in FIG. 7 the apparatus is arranged to transmit a six unit start-stop code of the type used in what is known as a sixth pulse usually'eifeeted by applying a resist to the metal sheet 7 in the areas which, are not to be cut away by the etching composition.

It will be noted that the sheets of metallic conducting material-18 and the sheets of insulating material 17 as shown in both FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, are of the same configuration, the sheet of insulating material 17 having a substantially centrally located aperture 2.2 and mounting apertures 23, 24, and formed in it. The substantially centrally located aperture 22 (FIGS. 2 and 3) provides a clearance hole for a shaft 26 on which there is suitably fixed a brush carrier or rotor '27. This carrier or rotor 27 has a pair of arms 28 and 2 on it in which there are formed rectangularapertures 30 and 31 for slidably supporting a pair of brushes 32 and 33, respectively. A third arm 34 formed on the carrier or rotor27 has a coiled spring 35 wrapped around it in such a manner that the extending ends 36 and 37 of the spring bear against the carbon brushes 32 and 33, respectively, and urge them to the left (FIG. 3).

In the etching process, whereby the sheet of metallic conducting material 18 is formed to the desired configuration, the metal is etched away to completely remove it from the edge 43 and the irregularly shaped surfaces 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 and 53, to leave connector portions 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63'. In the etching process, these connector portions 54 to 63 inclusive, are left connected to an outer uninterrupted, annular portion 64 which is in turn interconnected by a neck portion 65 to an inner, uninterrupted,

shift type of start-stop five unit code. In the transmission of this type of code the keyboard 12 is equipped with four rows of keys simulating the usual electric typewriter layout of keys and including shift keys. These keys permutatively control the operation of contact 38 in the bank of contacts 13. The permutative operation of these contacts 88 will cause them selectively to engage a common contact bar 89 which is connected to a source of power Each time a key on the keyboard is operated it will effect the permutative operation of contacts 83 to cause them to engage with the common contact bar 39 thereby to supply signaling power from the 7 source 90 through the contact bar 89 and operatedconannular collector ring portion 66. All of the connector portions are so formed that they in effect are wrapped around the outer annular portion and extend to a point closely adjacent to the bottom of the sheet of insulating material 17 where they are notched as indicated at 70 to form terminals to which wires may be attached This been cut into ten segments including a stop segment 71,

a start segment 72 and eight code segments'73 to 80,

'inclusive: iThe' codese'gmentsfid-tlti are all of exactly the same size whereas the stop segment 71 is much longer .thanthe code segments and'the start segment 72 is the same size as the code segments 73 311. The cutting. of

tacts to the various segments of the distributor. In FIG. 7 the contacts are designated 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and X. The 0 contact is the sixth pulse shift contact, the contacts l, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are the regular code contacts and the contact X is the contact closed upon the operation of a shift key on the keyboard 12.

In FIG. 7 there are shown six segments in addition to the start segment and stop segment and the connector portions 62 and 63 are'both connected to the zero contact 88 in the contact block 13. Also, the connector portions 57 and 5? are both connected to one of the segments of the distributor. This arrangement is provided when the outer annular ring portion -64 of the sheet of metallic conducting material '18 is perforated as shown by the dotted lines 91 (FIG. 4) to divide the outer annular portion 64 into eight segments including the start segment and stop segment. Similarly when the outer annular portion 64 0f the sheet of metallic conductingmaterial 18 and the sheet of insulating material 17 are perforated as shown by the solid lines 92in FIG. 4, the outer annular portion 64 will be divided into seven segments including the start segment 72 and stop segment 71. In FIG. 4

the location of the perforations 81 is indicated by the dot and dash line, 93. From the foregoing it Will be apparent thatthe same blank comprising the sheet of insulating material 17 and sheet of metallic conducting material 18, etched to form the various connector portions, may be utilized to provide a contact assemblage for either a five unit code, a six has been; perforated either as shown at 81, 91 or 92 (FIGS. 2 and 4-), the leading edge of each of the segments may be partially sheared to deform it as indicated in FIG. 6. This partial shearing will depress the leading edge 96 of each segment slightly below the rest of the segment whereby when the brush 32 moves from one segment to the succeeding one, it will not form a bridging contact but will drop off the trailing edge 97 and onto the leading edge as indicated by the deformed portion 96 thus to cause the distributor to transmit a more sharply defined signal. When the leading edge of each segment is thus deformed as indicated at 96 the sheet of insulating material as well as the sheet of conducting material 17 will be sheared and deformed slightly and since the partial shearing will leave the sheared portions with rough surfaces, as is usual in such operations, the deformed portions will be retained in the position shown in FIG. 6. This deforming operation may be performed at the same time that the perforation 91 is formed through the sheet of insulating material 17 and sheet of metallic conducting material 18 or it may be effected in a later operation.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention is shown in drawings and described in the foregoing specification it will be understood that the invention is not limited to that specific embodiment, but is capable of modification and rearrangement, and substitution of parts and elements without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a printing telegraph distributor which comprises applying a single conductive metallic sheet to a sheet of insulating material, forming saidmet-allic sheet to a predetermined configuration, said configuration including an inner uninterrupted, annular, collector ring portion connected to an outer uninterrupted, annular, portion having a plurality of connector portions formed integrally therewith, perforating slots in the outer, annular portion intermediate the connector portions to cut it into segments, deforming the sheets to bend the metallic sheet and sheet of insulating material out of their normal planes adjacent each of said slots, and mounting a rotary brush assemblage for continuous engagement with the collector ring portion and for sequential engagement with the segment portions formed by perforating the slots in the outer annular portions the brush in the assemblage which engages the segment portions being narrower in its projected direc tion of rotation than the length of any segment portion and the deformation of the metallic sheet being in a direction such that the brush which engages the segment portions, in being rotated, will drop from a preceding segment portion to a succeeding segment portion.

2. A method of manufacturing a printing telegraph distributor which comprises forming a single conductive metallic sheet of predetermined configuration on a sheet of insulating material by a printed circuit technique, said configuration including an inner, uninterrupted, annular, collector ring portion, an outer uninterrupted, annular segment portion having a plurality of connector portions formed integrally therewith, and a neck portion interconnecting said inner and outer annular portions, perforating slots in the outer, annular portion intermediate the connector portions to cut it into segment portions, deforming the metallic sheet and sheet of insulating material out of their normal planes adjacent each of said slots, and mounting a rotary brush assemblage for continuous engagement with the collector ring portion and for sequential engagement with the segment portions, the brush in the assemblage which engages the segment portions being narrower in its projected direction of rotation than the length of any segment portion and the deformation of the metallic sheet being in a direction such that the brush which engages the segment portions, in being rotated, will drop from a preceding segment portion to a succeeding segment portion.

3. A method of manufacturing a printing telegraph distributor which comprises forming a single conductive metallic sheet of predetermined configuration on a sheet of insulating material, said configuration including an inner, uninterrupted, annular collector ring portion, and an outer uninterruped annular segment portion having a plurality of connector portions formed integrally therewith, perforating slots in the segment portion intermediate selected ones of the connector portions to form a selected number of segment portions, mounting a rotary brush assemblage for continuous engagement with the collector ring portion and for sequential engagement with the segment portions, and as a continuation of the perforating operation deforming the metallic segment portion whereby the brush will be cammed up sheet and the sheet of insulating material out of their normal planes adjacent to each slot at the side of the slot toward which the brush moves when it is rotated to form a saw tooth or ratchet tooth shaped slope on each one segment portion and will drop onto the succeeding segment portion in its travel and will not bridge two segment portions.

4. A method of manufacturing a printing telegraph distributor which comprises forming a single conductive metallic sheet of predetermined configuration on a sheet of insulating material, said configuration including an inner, uninterrupted, annular collector ring portion, and an outer uninterrupted annular segment portion having a plurality of connector portions formed integrally therewith, perforating slots in the segment portion intermediate selected ones of the connector portions to form a selected number of segment portions, forming the metallic sheet and sheet of insulating material on only one edge of each slot with a sloping surface to provide a ratchet like step at each segment, and mounting a rotary brush assemblage for continuous engagement with the collector ring portion and for sequential engagement with the segment portions.

5. A method of manufacturing printing telegraph distributors which comprises forming a single conductive sheet on a sheet of insulating material in a pattern having a single, uninterrupted, annular, stationary, collector ring portion on it interconnected by a neck portion to an outer uninterrupted annular, stationary multiple contact portion, said multiple contact portion having extending from it n number of terminal portions, perforating a plurality of slots about the outer annular, stationary contact portion to divide it into a start segment interconnected by said neck portion to the collector ring portion and a number of separate contact segments, which number of separate contact segments is equal to (n-x) seg ments, where x may be one or more than one, bending an end portion of each segment of the conductive sheet and the sheet of insulating material in the direction of the sheet of insulating material to form a ratchet-like surface wherein the leading end of one segment is depressed with respect to the trailing end of the adjacent segment, and assembling with the collector ring and stationary contacts thus formed a rotatable brush carrier having interconnected brushes movable in a circular path in continuous engagement with the uninterrupted, annular collector ring portion and in sequential engagement with the contact segments formed by perforating the outer annular portion.

6. A printing telegraph distributor comprising a rotor member, a rotatable shaft fixed to said rotor member for supporting and rotating it, a first brush on said rotor member adjacent to said shaft and a second brush on said rotor member relatively remote from said shaft and electrically connected to said first brush, and a stationary contact assemblage positioned to be engaged by said brush upon rotation of said shafts, comprising a single sheet of electrical insulating material, a single sheet of electrical con ducting material adhered to the sheet of insulating material substantially concentric with said shaft and having a configuration comprising an inner, annular uninterrupted collector ring portion adjacent to said shaft engaging with said first brush; an outer portion having a configuration comprising segmental conducting portions each having a leading and a trailing edge positioned to be engaged sequentially by said second brush, said second brush being narrower in its projected direction of rotation than the length of anysegment and a neck portion interconnecting one of said segmental portions with said inner portion, each of said segmental portions having a terminal portion formed integrally with it and each of said segments havii1g its leading edge depressed together, with the corresponding portion of the sheet of insulating material with respect to the trailing edge of the next adjacent segment to provide a ratchet-like series of contact portions over .which said second brush will move without bridging ad- 'jacent segments. .7 V

, References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,755,347

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Acting Primary Examiner.

MAX. L. LEVY, BERNARD A. GlLI-IEANY,

' Examiners.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,200,210 August 10, 1965 Kay Alonas et a1" It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 6, line 13, strike out "segment portion whereby the brush will be cammed up" and insert the same after "on each" in line 17, same column 60 Signed and sealed this 31st day of May 1966.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents 

1. A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A PRINTING TELEGRAPH DISTRIBUTOR WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING A SINGLE CONDUTIVE METALLIC SHEET TO A SHEET OF INSULATING MATERIAL, FORMING SAID METALLIC SHEET TO A PREDETERMINED CONFIGUATION, SIAD CONFIGURATION INCLUDING AN INNER UNINTERRUPTED, ANNULAR, COLLECTOR RING PORTION CONNECTED TO AN OUTER UNINTERRUPTED, ANNULAR, PORTION HAVING A PLURALITY OF CONNECTOR PORTIONS FORMED INTEGRALLY THEREWITH, PERFORATING SLOTS IN THE OUTER, ANNULAR PORTION INTERMEDIATE THE CONNECTOR PORTIONS TO CUT IT INTO SEGMENTS, DEFORMING THE SHEETS TO BEND THE METALLIC SHEET AND SHEET OF INSULATING MATERIAL OUT OF THEIR NORMAL PLANES ADJACENT EACH OF SAID ALOTS, AND MOUNTING A ROTARY BRUSH ASSEBLAGE FOF CONTINUOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COLLECTOR RING PORTION AND FOR SEQUENTIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SEGMENT PORTIONS FORMED BY PERFORATING THE SLOTS IN THE OUTER ANNULAR PORTIONS THE BRUSH IN THE ASSEMBLAGE WHICH ENGAGES THE SEGMENTS PORTIONS BEING NARROWER IN ITS PROJECTED DIRECTION OF ROTATION THAN THE LENGTH OF ANY SEGMENT PORTION AND THE DEFORMATION OF THE METALLIC SHEET BEING IN A DIRECTION SUCH THAT THE BRUSH WHICH ENGAGES THE SEGMENT PORTIONS, IN BEING ROTATED, WILL DROP FROM A PRECEDING SEGMENT PORTION TO A SUCCEEDING SEGMENT PORTION. 